Bell Tower in Trinity College, Dublin Ireland (Von stifos - Adobe Stock)
I’ve put together a comprehensive 10-day itinerary for your Ireland trip featuring things to do, where we ate and where we stayed. If a day doesn’t include a breakfast or dinner suggestion, it’s either because I got coffee from the local Starbucks or I simply forgot the name of the restaurant and searching of Google Maps proved fruitless.
This list consists of days one and two of the trip which we spent in Dublin. After driving from the airport to the hotel, we were able to walk to all of our destinations.
Interior of the Long Room at the Kelis Book Experience (Tamala Malerk)
Day One
Arrive in Dublin and pick up the rental car at the airport.
We arrived in Dublin, got through customs and picked up the car. We left the airport around 10 a.m.
Drop things off at hotel: Zanzibar Locke
National Museum of Ireland-Kildare Street (90 minutes to two hours)
This is an archaeology museum. I think the coolest thing on-site is the bog people which are well-preserved bodies that were found in bogs throughout Ireland.
Trinity College guided tour and Book of Kells visit (Reservations recommended)
We had 1 p.m. reservations for the guided tour and then were dropped off right at the entrance of the Book of Kells experience (combined ticket option).
My favorite part was The Old Library which houses tens of thousands of books and a temporary exhibit on Oscar Wilde.
Lunch at: O’Shea’s of Temple Bar
I recommend: the traditional Irish Stew
Visit The Temple Bar Pub- Dublin’s Oldest Pub
I’m not much for loud, compacted spaces, but my husband is. He found a spot to sit next to the bar and enjoyed the live music playing. I snapped a quick pic and then walked around the Temple Bar area while he drank Guinness and listened to music.
Small independent bookstores like this one are much more my thing. I perused the shelves of this two-room bookstore which also doubles as a restaurant in the up-stairs area.
Dinner at The Gallery Restaurant at The Church (Reservations highly recommended and dress code enforced)
Fret not; it’s not a black-tie dress code. A nice shirt and pants/skirt will be just fine. I had a sweater and high-waisted slacks on, and my husband had a polo and nice jeans on.
Enjoy the live music and Irish step-dancing. However, know that your reservation is only valid for the two-hour timeframe that you reserve. We were able to find seats at the downstairs bar afterward because we enjoyed ourselves so much.
I recommend: Chicken Wings and Fries
Exterior of St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Tamala Malerk)
Day Two
Breakfast at Zanzibar Locke.
Dublin Castle (Recommend one hour for self-guided tour)
There are self-guided and docent-led guided tours. We chose the self-guided due to time restraints.
We purchased a combined ticket on the Cathedral website and have 1 p.m. reservations for the Cathedral.
The library, which is right around the corner from the Cathedral was my favorite part of the visit. It housed some of the oldest printed materials from the origin of the printing press.
Guinness Storehouse (Reservations required)
We had 4:45 p.m. reservations. Be prepared to wait in line outside for your tour time to begin.
Even as a non-beer drinker, I enjoyed this self-guided tour and experience. It is a multi-floor attraction with the option to add on other events. We added on the learning how to pour a Guinness class. My favorite exhibit was the one on the Guinness advertisements through the years.
Exterior of the Guinness Experience (Tamala Malerk)
Click here for details on the next step in our 10 day Ireland itinerary: days three and four.
